Key-cutting attachment fob



J. V. CARITHERS.

KEY CUTTING ATTACHMENT FOR LATHES. APPLICATTON FILED JYUNEZI, 1918.

1,323,744. Patented Dec. 2,1919.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

J. V. CARITHERS.

KEY CUTTING ATTACHMENT FOR LATHES.

APPLICAHON FILED JUNE 27. 1918.

Patented Dec. 2,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

FIGS.

FIG. 5.

IIIIII/I/ll JAMES V. CABI ETHERS, OF POMEROY, WASHINGTON.

KEY-CUTTING ATTACHMENT FOB LATHES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 2, 1919.

Application filed June 27, 1918. Serial No. 242,218.

vented certain new and useful Improvements in Ke -Guttin Attachments for Lathes, of WhlOh the to lowing is a specifi-- cation.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of an attachment readily mounted upon such a device as a watch makers lathe whereby a new key may-be quickly'and accurately formed by the cutting wheel of the lathe by employing as a guide eithenan old key or the tumbler formation of the lock which the key is adapted to operate.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a lathe attachment whereby a key may be out upon the lathe for-fitting a lock to which the keys have been lost and no keys at hand for employment as a guide, my device being operable in connection with the tumblers of the look so that a key is readily formed for any position of such tumblers. In this manner, tumbers which are adapted for operating the lock mechanism when the tumblers are arranged in slightly difi'erent positions may have their relative positions changed and a new key readily formed for fitting the lock and operating the same in a difi'erent manner from the old key, thereby rendering the old key useless and in effect changing the combination of the tumbler lock.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a key blank and pattern holding attachment for watch makers lathes readily positioned in an accurate manner for "employing the cutting wheel of the lathe, provision being made for shifting the pattern and guide keys simultaneously upon the work holder and such keys being readily removed and attached to the holder while provision is also made for holding the tumblers of a lock in their operative positions so that to properly form the key blank as a key for manipulating such tumblers.

With these general objects in view and others that will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described illustrated in the accompanying drawings and then claimed.

In the drawings forming a part. of this application and in which like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is an elevational view of a portion of a watch makers lathe with my attach nent operatively mounted thereon;

F g. 2 is a top plan view thereof;-

F g. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 illustrating the manner of cutting a key from a bank when employing an old key as 3. gm e;

Fig. 4 is, a vertical transverse sectional view taken upon line IVIV of Fig. 1;

gig. 5 is an end elevation of the device; an

Fig. 6 is a vertical transverse sectional view through anend portion of the table, the key guide andone of the key retaining plates.

Referring more in detail tothe drawings,

it will be understood that the device essentlally comprises an attachment in the nature of an adjustable holder readily mounted upon the bed plate of an rotary cutter such as the watch makers lathe 10 herein illustrated b way oft example. The

said lathe 10 inclu es the usual bed or arm 11 having. a longitudinal top groove 12, while the cutting wheel 13' is carried by a spindle 14 provided with the usual speed changing pulley 15. The cutting wheel 13 may have a square, round, or beveled cutting edge as found desirable in connection with the work upon which the same is employed.

A base plate 16 is horizontally mounted upon the lathe arm 11 with its longitudinal edges parallel with the arm and with positioning pins 17.contacting the adjacent side of the groove or slot 12 of the arm. A retaining bolt 18 extending through the arm 11 projects through a side slot 19 in the base 16 with the head of the bolt 20 positioned above the base and tightened thereon by the adjusting nut 21 beneath the arm. Three brackets 22 are mounted adjacent the front edge 23 of the base 16 opposite the slotted edge thereof and are provided with a mounting rod 24 secured therein.

, A carriage or table 25 is slidably mounted upon the rod 24 by means of spaced legs 26 'a handle 29 forwardly projects from..the

is provi ed with inclined slots 35 and 36 for receiving a retainin screw 37 and a pin 38, respectivel carrie by the top 28. A knob 39 upon t e guide 34 may be grasped for sliding the guide upon the to 28 when the screw 37 is loosened and whic sliding operation constantly maintains the rear edge 40 of the guide 34 parallel with the rear edge 41 of the table top 2 8. The screw 37 is tightened upon the guide for retaining the. same in 1ts adjusted position.

The rear edge of the guide 34 is provided with a substantially central semi-circular recess 42 adapted for receiving-the head such as 43 of .a key blank having its shank 44 1 fiatl engaging the adjacent straight .ed e o the guide 34 in a position for cutting y the cutter 13. vWhen so positioned, one of the side shoulders 45 usually found upon fiat keys of this form is engaged with a shoulder 46 at the adjacent end of the recess 42. A clamping plate 47 overlies the guide 34 having a screw '48 extending through the plate 47 and threaded into the top 28, the said screw 48 being freely positioned through an inclined slot 49 in the guide 34 with a'spring 50 encircling the screw 48 and positloned within the .slot 49 between the clamping plate 47 and the table top 28. A guide pin 51 similar to the aforementioned pin 38 is also carriedby the top 28 and projects into the slot 29 for assisting in maintaining the guide with its rear edge in parallelism with the edges of the top 28. A retaining screw 52 is threaded through the plate 47 and extends through an inclined slot 53 in the guide 34 and bears in a shallow socket 54 in the table top 28. It will be seen that when the key blank is positioned upon the table top 48 engagin the guide 34 as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 o the drawings, the guide 34 may be positioned for bringing the blank into pro er cutting engagement with the cutter 13 w en the carriage 25 is shifted by means of the handle 29, whilegby tightening the screw 52 the plate 47 is'tilted for bringing its for- A holder 56 is slidably mounted upon the side of the index post 30 with the beveled lower edge .57 of the holder slid ly p sitioned within a roove 58 of a cleat 59 secured upon the holder 56 with their key engaging edges positioned toward the carriage 25. The said tumbler'64 when provided with slots such as 66, may be mounted upon a pin 67 projecting from the holder 56, 1t being understood that the tumblers are to be positioned u on the holder 56 in their exact manner 0 quired in the lock for which the key is to be constructed. A follower is carried by the table to 28 for engaging the edges 65 of thetum ler'64 so that the kerfs such as '68, will be formed in the shank 44 of the key blank by the cutter l3 exactly complemental with respect to the tumblers 64 so that the key so formed will be capable of operating the look when the tumblers 64 are returned to the look.

-The follower herein illustrated in Fig. 2

of the drawings is in the form of a key blank 69 having a single ward or lug 70 to engage said tumblers 64. A clamping plate correspondingly to the screws 48 and 52, re-

spectively, of the plate 47. It will be understood that the screw 72 extends through .an inclined slot 74 in the guide 34 whlle the screw 73 extends through .a similar inclined slot 75 in the said guide. It will be seen that when the key of a lock. has been lost, the tumblers 64 may be mounted u on the bracket 56 and the said bracket suita ly adjusted so that a lug member 70 carried by the carriage 25, will act as a follower during the manipulation of the carriage to cut the required key surface in the blank 44 by means of the Wheel 13;

The device is also serviceable in cutting key blanks to correspond with a given key,

arrangement as re-.

such as 76, shown in Fig. 3. The finished,

key 76 is secured upon the table top 28 by means of the clamping plate 71 with its ward carrying edge 77 projecting rearwardly of the table edge 41. The guide 34 is preferably provided with a cutaway portion 78 for accommodating thehead of the key 76. An index member 79 of any desired form is slidably mounted upon the post 30 by means of screws 80 carried by the post and extending through a longitudinal slot 841 of the said index member so that the ated upon,

reduced end or finger 82 of the index member may be made to follow the grooves or kerfs such as 83 and wards 84 of the finished key 76.

It will be understood that the forward and rear tilting movement of the carriage 25 is limited by the kerfs 83 of the key 76 into which the index finger 82 is received. The depth of the cut of the cutter 13 is thereby regulated in the key blank 85 being operwhile the distance between the kerfs 83 and the wards 84 will accurately correspond in the blank 85 being formed by slidably moving the carriage 25 along the rod 2 The stops 86 'are carried by the table legs 26 adapted for limiting the for ward swinging. movement of the table by engaging. the front edge 23 of the base 16. A serviceable device is provided in which keys may be readily formed by a rotary cutter either from the lock structure itself or an old key when such a key is at hand.

What I claim as new is 1. A key cutter comprising a base, a table tiltably and slidably mounted thereon, a guide strip flatly engaging said table provided with inclined slot-s, pins carried by the table extending within opposite ones of said slots, a retaining screw carried by the table positioned through an intermediate one of said slots, an operating knob upon the guide, key clamping plates arranged overlying the guide with their rear edges terminating adjacent the rear edge of the table rearwardly of the rear edge of the guide, securing screws extending through said clamping plates and through adj acently positioned ones of said slots and threaded into the table, operating screws for the clamping plates threaded through said plates and extendin through rearwardly positioned ones of sand guide slots and bearing against the table top whereby the forward edges of the plates are tilted toward the said table top, a post having a bottom flange mounted upon said base, a pivoting screw between said flange and base, a retaining screw carried by the flange adapted for engaging the base when the post is in its adjusted position, a cleat transversely secured upon said post having a groove in its upper edge, a holder slidably mounted upon the post with an inclined lower edge slidably .positioned within the said groove and fuither provided with a slot, a retaining screw for the holder carried by the post ad ustably positioned through the slot of the holder, an angular mounting finger carried by the holder, and a tumbler retaining screw carried by the finger whereby'the tumblers of the lock are adapted for holding during the cutting of a key.

2. A device adapted for cutting keys conforming to the tumblers of a lock comprising a base, an adjustable mounting means for a key blank carried by the base, a follower member having a key ward engaging lug clamped upon said mounting means, a post having a bottom flange mounted upon said base, a pivoting screw between said flange and base, a retaining screw carried by the flange adapted for engaging the base when the post is in its adjusted position, a cleat transversely secured upon said post having a groove in its upper edge, a holder slidably mounted upon the post and cleat and with a beveled lower edge slidabl positioned within the said groove and urther provided with a slot, a retaining screw for the holder carried by the post adjust-ably positioned through the slot of. the holder, an angular mounting finger carried by the holder, and a tumbler retaining screw car ried by the finger whereby the tumblers of the lock are adapted to be held during the cutting of a key.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JAMES V. CARITHERS. 

